Metal X
by Sky Astor
Summary: Whouffaldi. The TARDIS follows a source of energy and takes the Doctor and Clara to a place where they didn't intend to go. The land on apeaceful planet, in a small village, but when they go outside, they discover there's something not alright...
1. Intro

Hello!

So I've decided to TRY and finally write a story that actually has a PLOT... I can only hope that it won't be a fiasco.  
Oh, and in the story, Twelve and Clara are in a relationship from the very beginning, so just go with it. :)

I hope you like it!

* * *

 **Metal X**

 **Intro**

When the young looking Time Lord regenerated into a new, older Doctor, it was a big shock for Clara and she spent some time grappling with the loss. It was hard for her to accept him at first because she felt as if someone had stolen her best friend and replaced him with a complete stranger. However, she tried to cope and in the end she accepted the new incarnation. After all, he was still the Doctor. Clara knew that she would have to find out what he was like and soon she realised that he was much more serious, sometimes even a bit rude and sharp and he didn't know how to approach humans.

It didn't take very long and Clara fell in love with him – the feelings that had been there before grew even stronger. She wasn't surprised - she was even worried that it would happen because she was never interested in pretty young men. The companion tried to suppress her feelings because she saw that the new Doctor was less open to both others and her. As they were travelling and exploring worlds, she got to know him once more, helped him to improve his manners and the bond between them deepened more and more. They both were secretly very affectionate towards each other, but never showed it much. The Doctor was besotted with her even though he was trying to pretend that he wasn't because he didn't think that the feeling was mutual. Somehow he always managed to miss that she looked at him as though he was a beautiful angel from a fairy tale. And if he did notice, it usually confused him because his new much-more-alien self found humans hard to read.

x

During one of their adventures, Clara got captured by the Daleks and their new troop of Pig Men in an old factory, which she and her Doctor were separately exploring. The Pig slaves weren't very nice creatures and she got some wounds from their cruel treatment - some bruises and grazes covered her upper body and her shirt was a bit ragged. The Daleks used her as a bait to lure their enemy into a trap. Unfortunately for them, the Doctor saw through it and managed to save her and escape. When they entered the TARDIS, Clara was still a little scared and her body was slightly shaking. He saw that her wounds weren't serious, but he was still worried about her. The Doctor wasn't sure what to do first, so he took his black coat off, so he was left in his holey jumper, and put it around her shoulders. Then he unsurely pulled her into a hug, knowing it would set off a wave of excitement through his body.

The embrace was unexpected because this had been the first he initiated a hug. She couldn't help but smile when he whispered in her ear that she was safe and sound now. Her head rested against his chest while her hand was placed on his ribcage, softly massaging it with her fingers. When Clara calmed down, she looked up at him to find his blue eyes full of worries.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly.

"I shouldn't have left you alone."

It was clear that he regretted his decision that they should explore the apparently abandoned factory separately.

Instead of giving him an answer, she just went on her tiptoes to give him a gentle kiss. She didn't blame him for anything.

The Doctor froze and his mind immediately blue screened as he savoured the sensation of her lips. His body was stiff due to all the surprise and excitement that flowed through his limbs. They lingered in the kiss for a while before they parted.

"Clara..." he whispered, eyes wide open, forgetting that his arms are still around her torso.

The impossible girl couldn't help but smile shyly at him because he reminded her of a startled owl. Her cheeks blushed and she bit her lower lip.

"Sorry," she said quietly in spite of being quite proud of herself.

"Don't. Enjoyed it," he stuttered nervously, pondering if this wasn't just a dream because it was too wonderful to be true.

Clara giggled when she saw how much he was thrown off his balance - gazing at her in the most loving way. When the Doctor finally came fully back to his senses, he let go off her to give her some space. He smiled at her back a bit in embarrassment.

She didn't want to leave him puzzled, so instead of pretending that nothing happened she decided to finish what she started. His dilated pupils, eyes full of spark indicated that she wasn't the only one who was in seventh heaven.

He looked as if a cyclone hit him when she confessed her love for him. His eyebrows flew up and he was speechless for a while before his hands found a mind on their own and cupped her face. She was melting under his piercing gaze.

"I love you... too," he whispered, surprised by the sudden determination, he bent down to meet her lips for a brief moment. Suddenly it was so easy when the weight fell off his chest.

Their relationship had changed since this little blissful moment. She knew that his new him wasn't very fond of touching and showing emotions and she certainly didn't want to push into anything. At first, Clara didn't know how to approach him on this matter, but she just decided to take it slowly - and she herself didn't want to rush things either. Touches and kisses were exchanged, later when they both were ready, they had even made sweet love a few times and the Doctor seemed to be quite fine with the all the new intimacy they shared.

xxxxx

Clara was lying on her side when she started waking up in the Doctor's bed inside his cosy bedroom situated somewhere in the blue time machine. She felt that something almost velvety was touching, tickling the lower part of her face, so Clara moved her head slightly and a familiar sweet smell tried to lure her from the peaceful sleep she had. She brushed her nose over that soft something, her eyes opened lazily and she realised that her face was buried in the Doctor's long grey locks. Her lips curled into a smile and couldn't resist moving her head a little more against the luscious hair. She absolutely loved the fluffy delight, so she placed a kiss in his curls and gently ran her fingers through the grey sea.

He had already been lying awake and enjoyed the warmth of her body, waited for her to wake up. As soon as he realised that she was awake, he nuzzled his nose against her neck and pulled her even closer although it wasn't possible anymore. A quiet hum escaped his lips when he felt her fingers massaging his skull.

"Good morning," she whispered.

"Morning," he murmured.

"How did we get in this position," she grinned while she was stroking his hair.

"No idea," he replied.

"But I like it."

They both knew he was lying about the first part.

"Do you want to get up?" she asked, knowing that Time Lords didn't need that much sleep as humans did, yet she almost always found him in bed next to her in the morning.

"No," came a simple answer as he smiled against her neck.

"Didn't you say that you are not a hugging-person?" she teased.

"I'm not," he replied as he looked up at her, "You're an exception."

"I'm honoured," she proclaimed in a serious tone and the both grinned at each other.

He crawled to her, so they could be on eye level. Her eyes travelled across his shining face, down to his neck and to his unbuttoned purple shirt that revealed his bare chest covered with sparse chest hair. She couldn't resist tracing her fingers across the pale skin, knowing how much he loved it.

He bit his lower lip as he felt his muscles tense under her touch and a pleasant tickling inside his belly. A smile appeared on his face and he moved his head a little closer to hers to steal a gentle kiss.

His morning stubble scratched her face a bit, but she didn't mind it – on the contrary, she found his morning scruffy look very attractive.

Then she snuggled close and rested her head against his exposed chest, where she could feel both of his hearts beat in joy. Still feeling sleepy, she yawned and wrapped her arms around him.

"I love you," she whispered and her hot breath collided with his skin.

"I love you, too."

Clara just wanted to lay in bed a little longer and then get up, but in the end she drifted back to sleep again. The Doctor closed his eyes and just relaxed while he was holding her close, gently drawing patterns on her back.


	2. Slightly Foggy Evening

**A/N:** Thanks for the nice reviews!  
Here is chapter 2 = some more fluff + plot start  
Enjoy :)

 **Metal X**

 **Chapter 2  
** **Slightly Foggy Evening**

* * *

Clara woke up almost an hour later. The place next to her was empty and cold, so she looked around and found the Doctor sitting at his table, fiddling with some gadgets. He'd already showered and got dressed in his usual black trousers, white shirt and black waistcoat. His new red velvet coat, which she absolutely adored, was thrown over his swivel chair.

She spent a few moments just watching him before she quietly got up. Dressed in her nightie, Clara walked over on her tiptoes when she saw how focused he was on his work. She hugged him from behind and his body jerked in her embrace as he gasped.

"For God's sake, Clara!" he complained.

"Sorry," she chuckled and kissed his cheek before letting him go again.

"No, you're not," he smiled.

"Breakfast?"

"Yeah, sure. What time is it, anyway?"

"Hard to tell in here," he replied, turning in his chair towards her with a cheeky smile.

This was usually the first thing a person wanted to know after waking up - and it was okay when they spent the night in her flat, however, other mornings when they slept in the blue box, she sometimes simply forgot herself and asked anyway, by which the Doctor was always amused.

"Why doesn't the TARDIS have her own time?" Clara asked, wondering why she had never thought about this before.

"Why would she? You don't need to know what time it is in here. It would be only confusing. It's better like this anyway - you can go to bed whenever you want, you can sleep as long as you want et cetera, et cetera," he explained, waving his hand in the air.

"Isn't this what every little human would want?"

"Yeah, probably," she said with a bright smile on her face.

Then he stood up and told her he would get some breakfast for them. When she agreed, he kissed her forehead and made his way out of the room.

In the meantime, Clara took a shower, got dressed in her usual red skirt, black tights and black cardigan. She didn't live with him full-time and still had her own flat and the job at Coal Hill school, but she kept a few important things in the TARDIS because of spending much more time there than before. The blue box became her second home.

She came to the console room and was joined by the Doctor a brief moment later. He entered the door with a tray in his right hand, carrying two teas, two coffees and some fresh baked goods.

"Oh, great timing, miss Oswald," he said as he scuttled to the console to push some buttons and switch the main lever to take off.

"I thought we could eat at your flat," he suggested, briefly looking at her if she approved despite the fact that the time machine had already been on her way.

"Yeah, sure, if you like," she said with a smile, walking over him. He probably didn't want to admit that the TARDIS kitchen disappeared somewhere in the depths of the ship again.

They often ate breakfast at her place because the Doctor loved being there with her. He never said that, but all his doings indicated that he did enjoy spending time in her flat. Whether it was having breakfast, watching the telly together (with him complaining about the shows), going for walks, evening chats or innocent cuddling in bed or on the balcony at sunset, he had a great time. He liked switching between the dangerous/adventurous and the quiet teacher-life. Just like she was used to doing it since they'd been travelling together.

The TARDIS landed in her living room and they went to her kitchen. They sat at Clara's small table opposite each other and chatted about various things, including to where she would like to go for a trip this time. Clara had no special wishes and left the choice to him. She also complimented the delicious croissants he had brought to which the Doctor claimed he had bought them in Paris in the late twenties, and that brought back some funny memories - it made her remember how he ''bought'' that stinky coat when they were in Victorian London and she couldn't hide a little smile that appeared on her face. He cocked an eyebrow in response, but she didn't say anything.

x

"Thank you," she said and kissed his cheek when they finished.

"It's nothing, Clara. Come on, let's go," he replied and gestured towards the blue box.

She followed him, thinking how dapper he looked in that red velvet jacket. Just when she thought he couldn't look any better, he came with some new, absolutely dashing outfit. He was still trying to impress her in any way possible and she wondered what he would think of next.

The moment they entered, the TARDIS shook and wheezed and lifted off by herself.

"What's happening?!" Clara's stomach tightened and she looked over to the Doctor, whose eyes were fixed at the turning time rotors above the console.

"I suppose we'll soon find out," he replied and jumped to the console.

The blue box had already landed when he got to it and the Time Lord looked at the monitors to find out what was wrong and Clara soon joined his side. The Doctor pursed his lips as he was reading the Gallifreyan symbols from the monitors in front of him.

"Doctor?" she interrupted his thoughts.

"We're in 3057 on a small planet called Iris 255. There's a rift here that emits a great deal of energy which is floating through time and space. The TARDIS must have felt it and she followed it here to recharge the engines… So there's no need to worry, I guess" he explained, "We didn't get abducted," he continued and gave her a faint smile.

"More or less," she added.

Then Clara leant into his side, resting her head against his shoulder on that soft fabric of his new coat.

"How long will the charging take?" she asked.

"Less time than usual – she's not completely drained; she just took the opportunity to charge up on energy. Maybe an hour...," came his response before he turned his head to look at her.

"This isn't a dangerous planet and it's very modern with lots of interesting gadgets. And if you stop crushing my arm, we could go outside and see what's around here."

"Yeah, we could," she smiled.

The Doctor went first and his beloved companion followed him outside.

The air was quite chilly and the sky was filled with clouds coloured in all shades of grey and dark blue. It was early evening, but it had already gone quite dark outside. The TARDIS was parked on the edge of a forest that surrounded a small village. The houses were modern, all built in the style of cubism in white or black with some occasional colours for living them up. Next to the futuristic homes was a lake, and a milky fog was lingering above the water, lightly reaching the village and wrapping it into a light haze.

"It's quite similar to Earth here," Clara pointed out after she had looked around.

"Yes, it is," he confirmed, "Though, I suppose you wouldn't say that if we were in one of the enormous metropoles."

"Come on, let's have a look around."

They got on the path that led to the heart of the village. Clara was looking at the modern houses, a bit disappointed that they didn't end up in a larger city where she could see the more typical things for this planet - as he had mentioned before. The Doctor watched closely the surroundings and the Doctor hoped they would come across some natives, but no one was in sight and everything was all too quiet. Blinds of most of the house's windows were rolled down, doors shut.

Clara began, "It's all quite..."

"Dead around here?" he interrupted her, turning around to make sure that no one was walking behind or watching them.

"I would have said 'grim', but 'dead' will do too, I guess."

The Doctor kept his eyes fixed at the houses, thinking he would maybe catch a glimpse of a living soul – and indeed he did. A roller blind was partly pulled up and some curious eyes were watching the two strangers - but as soon as the Doctor noticed, the blind went down and banged against the window ledge. The Doctor frowned.

"Doctor, look," Clara whispered and tugged at his sleeve.

The Doctor turned his head to the same direction and his hearts skipped a beat when he saw a silhouette partly peeping out from behind a small tree on the lakeside, looking directly at them. The gloom made it impossible for him to recognise any features of its face.

"Okay. There are two possibilities right now," his voice was low, "Whatever that is, it's either scared of us or we have a problem."

"Oh, great. I thought you know what kind of species lives here," she whispered, slightly nervous because of the suspenseful moment.

"Of course I know - Iris 255 is inhabited by the Etnos. They're a friendly species but as you could already see - no one seems to be here," he spoke softly as his eyes were still fixed on the silhouette in the light fog.

"Why isn't it doing anything?" Clara asked.

"I don't know. It's hard to tell what it is from here because all I see is only a part of its head – a silhouette in the fog… Maybe it _is_ an Etno - just a little scared as I'd said," he hoped.

"And if not?" she looked at him.

The Doctor made a few steps towards the tree and she automatically did the same.

"When I say run, run."


	3. Abductions

**A/N:** Chapter 3! Sorry for the mistakes I've made – English is not my native language.  
Hope you enjoy this.

* * *

 **Metal X**

 **Chapter 3**  
 **Abductions**

* * *

As they were coming closer and closer, the Time Lord put his arm in front of her and shooed her protectively behind him. The creature kept its position without the slightest move, but as the distance between it and them got smaller, it hid completely behind the tree.

The Doctor's eyebrows drew together and he remained still for a moment, waited if for another move, but nothing happened, so he decided to come even closer.

"Hello?" he called.

No reply.

"We won't hurt you. Do you need any help?" the Doctor tried again.

They slowly walked around the trunk and found an alien being with his back against the tree and eyes filled with fear.

"You're not one of them?" came his voice which assured the time travellers that he was no threat.

"No, we're not," the Doctor offered him a hand to stand up - the coal black-haired Etno hesitated at first, but took it in the end and got to his feet.

His seven-foot tall figure towered over them and Clara immediately noticed that this species was very similar to the human race - except for the height and a few other features. Etnos had bright, beautiful yellow eyes which were almost hypnotising. The surrounding skin had darker shades - like black eye shadows humans wore. The next thing that caught her attention were four octopus-like suction pads on the neck - two on each side. The last visible difference was on his hands – very long, spider fingers with claws that could be retracted. The rest of his body was covered with trousers, sweatshirt and shoes – all in black, and Clara wondered if there were any other typical Etno-features hidden by the clothes.

"I'm the Doctor and this is my companion Clara. We're time travellers and got here by accident," the Doctor began to calm the hurt man down.

"Hi," Clara smiled.

"Time travellers? Wow. That's something," he exclaimed in surprise, "pleased to meet you. I'm Jon," he introduced himself happily and relieved that they meant no harm.

"Who's ' _them_ '?" the Doctor asked full of curiosity.

"Well, this is a longer story," he sighed, "Come on, come to my house and I will tell you everything."

The tall street lights started to provide the little village with light as Jon led the way to his house. The couple noticed that his clothes were a bit dirty and that he was holding his left arm, but either of them asked anything because they assumed it would be all part of the story.

x

Jon left them sitting on his sofa in his living room and went to the kitchen to fetch something to drink.

"Blinds down, doors locked - I feel like we're in a bunker during a zombie apocalypse," Clara stated, having her arms crossed, tightly grabbing her elbows.

He chuckled.

"Honestly, it _is_ a bit disturbing... and strange, don't you think?" she tried to convince him.

"Very strange" he admitted, "But I don't think it will seem strange to us when we know the reason for this."

He licked his lips and slowly leaned forwards for a tender kiss.

When they parted, he brushed his nose against hers and took her hand and intertwined their fingers.

"Don't worry, Clara, I'm with you," he assured her with a smile and squeezed her hand.

"Yeah. Thanks," she smiled.

He couldn't wait to hear the story because the fact that they didn't know what was going on made them nervous - and besides, he hated not knowing.

Despite having a bad feeling about it all, Clara still found it all quite exciting – the thrill, the danger as she was used to. However, this time it had been quite spooky so far and she knew that it would probably get worse, nevertheless, having her loved Doctor by her side gave a feeling of safety.

As they were sitting in the cosy living room full of modern gadgets and furniture, Clara calmed down again and was quite keen on hearing about what had happened here.

When Jon was almost good fifteen minutes gone, they agreed that it was a bit strange, but just when they wanted to go and search for him, he came back.

"Sorry it so long. I just made sure that the doors and windows are properly shut, all roller blinds down and so on. You've seen that," Jon said, placing a tray of some hot beverages on the table as he sat down opposite them.

"That's alright - and thanks," Clara said, taking one of the mugs. Firstly, she was taken aback by the colour of the drink – light green. At one she almost thought that it was luminous in the dark. Her eyes wandered to the Doctor who pulled his sonic screwdriver out and scanned both of their mugs, then he gave her a nod.

Jon raised an eyebrow and when the Doctor focused back on him, a naughty little smile appeared on his face.

"Don't worry. It's not poison," he said.

"Yeah... I don't trust strangers," the Doctor answered.

"Fair enough."

"So, will you tell us what's going on?" Clara asked.

"Sure thing. Listen - five days ago a spaceship landed on the hill above the village. Just for a while and then it flew away and hadn't come back since. Spaceships are common in my time, but everyone thought that it was indeed a bit strange because no one ever lands up there. Well, anyway, the first day after this event, I wanted to go and visit my friend Rex who lives next to the shop. When I came there, I saw that the lock was removed. Inside his bedroom was quite a mess - like after a fight. My brother disappeared over the next night and his door lock was removed too, but his bedroom was tidy, so they must have given him an injection or something in his sleep. Rex usually stays awake the whole night, so he must have been caught awake."

The Doctor slowly nodded his head and agreed, "Probably. Yes."

Jon continued, "Well, a young woman, Ly, disappeared the third night and that was it so far. Of course, no one dared to go up there - well, no one but me."

"And that's how you injured your left arm?" Clara asked, sipping on the green beverage which tasted like peach juice.

"Yeah. I went through the forest up the hill. There's a cubic-like building with two soldiers at the main entrance - they both are armed and wear masks. The building looks a bit like a prison - it's got windows with bars on them. I managed to go around it – there is no other entrance, and unfortunately, the soldiers noticed me when I was returning and opened fire at once, but thanks to the trees, no bullet hit me, so I dashed back down the hill and tripped over - I fell and injured my arm, but it's nothing serious. I put a healing bandage on it," he said and rolled up his sleeve to show the white fabric with small blue flashing lights on it, "Well... and when I came back, I saw your blue box and you two coming to the village. I thought you belong to them, so I rather didn't go home and hid behind the tree at the lake."

"So, now you know everything," Jon said, clasping his hands together.

"Yeah, except for what _they_ do with the ones they had abducted," the Doctor added.

They kept on discussing the matter and, as always, the Time Lord and his impossible girl wanted to get it sussed.

Jon was anxious about his brother, yet he didn't show it much in front of them and kept it all inside of him. However, their help offer pumped him up with energy and hope, made him feel stronger because he had at least someone on his side now. Thanks to the special healing bandage, he didn't feel any pain and his arm got a little better. He insisted on going with them, but the Doctor wasn't very happy about it because in case they got caught, the soldiers would recognise him from before.

"I'll go at least up the hill with you," Jon stated.

"Alright," the Doctor gave in, knowing the Etno would probably stalk them anyway even if he forbid it.

x

It didn't take long and night fell over the little village, and they finally went outside. Clara was mesmerized by the two moons that illuminated the night sky. One of them had a light violet colour and was four times as big as Earth's Moon. The other one was even a little bigger, coloured in wonderful shades of blue that resembled the Doctor's eyes. The sky was overall much shinier and more hypnotizing – she could watch such a spectacle the whole night.

They went through the dense forest up the hill. The light of the two moons and shining stars partly fought its way through the branches, so they didn't go completely blind.

When they finally made to the top, they saw a two-floor, cubic-like building of dark grey colour. First and second floor had windows with bars on it, ground floor, on the other hand, had no windows. The light in the whole building were on – at least from their point of view. There seemed to be only one entrance which was guarded by two armed soldiers dressed in black uniforms. The Doctor, Clara moved a little closer and remained hidden behind the trees, Jon rather crouched because of his tall figure.

"Okay, it looks like there's just one way in," the Doctor spoke in a husky tone while staring at the soldiers.

"So, what's your plan?" Clara asked and he gave her a look she knew too well.

"No, no..."

"The quickest way to find out anybody's plans, get yourself captured," he said quite cheerfully and Clara sighed.

She knew he would say it, but hoped he would have a different plan than this.

Then he turned to Jon, "You'll wait here. You can't come with us now - the soldiers would recognise you,"

"And listen - don't do anything stupid and be careful," he lightly poked Jon in the chest as he warned him, "And as for your brother and friends - expect the worst. I highly doubt they're having a secret party in there."

Jon frowned at him because those were the words he exactly didn't want to hear and made his stomach twist.

The Doctor and Clara slowly approached the building and were ready to step out of the forest.

"That was a bit cruel," she said.

"People don't need to be lied to."

"People don't need to be scared either by grumpy owl," she teased him and lightly poked his arm, "you could have put it differently or didn't have to mention it at all."

"Hmmm…Maybe. I'll try next time," he replied with a faint smile, amused by the owl-remark.

They stood still for moment.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Ready."


	4. Joey

**A/N:** And chapter 4 is here!  
Hope you like it. :)

* * *

 **Metal X**

 **Chapter 4**  
 **Joey**

They stepped out of the forest and approached the entrance and the guards noticed them immediately.

"Hold it right there!" shouted one of the soldiers and pointed his assault rifle at them just as his colleague. They both seemed very aggressive and ready to fire.

The Doctor and Clara put their hands up and got blinded by the lamp which was attached soldiers' the guns. Before they could say something, the two men checked their necks and looked at each other in confusion when they didn't find any suction pads.

"Hey! You don't belong to the Etno species! Who are you and how did you get here?!" the guard shouted and his voice echoed in the forest where Jon watched the whole scenario.

"Gentlemen, please, there's no need to shout like this," came a pleasant, soft voice from the door.

"And stop blinding them," he added as he was coming closer and the two men lowered their guns and aimed at the intruders' legs instead.

When the Doctor's eyes recovered from the sharp light, he saw the man who stood proudly in front of them - blond, combed back hair and dressed all in white - white shoes, trousers and a shirt. He walked closer and stopped between the two soldiers.

"Well, we're waiting for your answers, strangers," he encouraged them to speak.

"I'm John Smith and this is my companion Clara. We're from Earth and our ship crashed and exploded minutes later. We've catapulted ourselves before it hit the ground or else we wouldn't have survived and been on our feet for quite a while now and tried to find some help. Instead of that we ended here," the Doctor explained and the blond man brought his hand to his face to scratch his chin.

"And tell me Mr. Smith, isn't by any chance forbidden to travel so far from Earth?" he bit his finger and grinned devilishly.

"We're quite the rebels, aren't we?" Clara smiled.

"Yes, you are!" he laughed and walked around them and stopped behind her.

"I like that," he whispered in his honey voice.

Then he clasped his hands to together in joy.

"Well, gentlemen. Be so kind and escorts these two rebel travellers to my office. But keep your guns ready, though - in case they have any ideas."

One soldier led the way while the other was at the back to make sure that he saw every move.

"He's so ''kind'' and creepy that it hurts," Clara whispered to the Doctor who walked next to her.

"Very true. But I'm afraid that this was just the beginning," he replied.

The inside of the building was just as cold as it seemed from the outside. The walls were white, occasionally decorated with some cracks; all around the room were a few pieces of furniture - differed from the ones Jon had, so the Doctor concluded the Humans must have brought it with them. The upsetting surroundings kind of resembled an abandoned hospital, making them feel uneasy.

The blonde man stayed outside for a few moments, looked around and glared into the woods, but saw nothing except darkness before the chilly air lured him back in.

Jon immediately made use of the opportunity. He saw that there were no security cameras at this simple building and that the only threat – the soldiers – weren't in place, so he ran to the main door and he was lucky – they didn't lock it. He knew that the men would return to their posts soon, so he quickly slipped in.

The Doctor and Clara entered a big office on the second floor which clearly belonged to the creepy blonde. Unlike the rest of the house, it was quite welcoming. There were lots of monitors, papers and some dead exotic plants.

"Please, sit down," said the man dressed all in white who had just joined them.

They didn't want to provoke him, so they reluctantly sat down and he walked around the table to sit in his own chair opposite them.

Then he gave orders to his men, "Eric, go down and send Vincent and Ian up here. Luke, stay here with us."

Then he turned to his guests, "and I haven't even introduced myself, have I? How rude."

"I'm Joseph Cullen - doctor and biologist. From Earth as you've surely noticed. I've been sent out to collect some information about this planet. You know, the usual - climate, inhabitants, fauna, flora et cetera."

When he finished, Eric came back with his two colleagues - Vincent and Ian. They were sent up, so Eric and Luke could return and guard the main entrance and its surroundings.

"Did you bring it?" asked the scientist happily which made both Clara and the Doctor nervous.

"Yes, sir," came the soldier's reply as he handed him a device with a small monitor on it.

"You two, stand up, please. And don't worry, I'll just scan you for guns," he winked at them.

They both got to their feet and the Doctor frowned when the scientist scanned Clara - the hungry look in his eyes made the Time Lord's blood boil because she was clearly uncomfortable, just as when they stood outside and Dr. Cullen got too close to her.

When he scanned the Doctor, Cullen frowned at little at the scan and then glanced over to the soldier. The Doctor was ready to fight and protect Clara, supposing the scan was advanced and would reveal his two hearts that were beating faster than they should be.

"Please, empty your pockets, Mr. Smith. Slowly," he commanded.

Relieve washed over him, yet the anger stayed and being under pressure didn't help at all. The longer he and his Clara stayed with that creep scientist dancing around them, the more it was getting uncomfortable with every minute. He slipped his hand into the pocket of his velvet jacket and pulled his sonic screwdriver out.

"What is this?" Cullen asked as he took the sonic.

"Oh, that's just a little tool I have built myself. It was supposed to be a device with which you could turn on and off almost everything. But we, uh," he looked at Clara who gave him a faint smile, "obviously made some mistakes because it's not working."

Dr. Cullen wanted to try it out but was too surprised by the answer which seemed to kick him with another load of energy.

"Ah! Not just travellers but also hobby inventors! Amazing!" he expelled, full of joy as he placed the sonic on his table.

"You look like a magician, though. No offence, but has anyone ever told you that?"

"He gets that a lot, yeah," Clara forced herself to smile at the blonde who giggled before turning his attention back to the Doctor.

"Well?"

The grey-haired man cocked an eyebrow.

Cullen clicked his tongue, "Oh please, Mr. Smith. Don't try anything. We both know there is another item in your other pocket."

Cullen received the psychic paper and he chuckled when he looked at it.

"Oh, I knew it! Government inspection," the scientist grinned and shook his head, "I thought we agreed with the superiors on no inspections."

"Well, we just wanted to be sure, so," the Doctor shrugged.

"Well, I must admit you play your part very well," Cullen eyed them again and then examined the screwdriver once more.

"So do you," the Doctor replied coldly and earned a death glare for that.

Cullen smirked, "I see... You know, there was no need to spoil it. We've could have played some more and later I would have let you go."

Clara slowly closed her eyes and took a deep breath, dealing with the fact that they were probably in serious trouble. ? jinak?

Dr. Cullen couldn't suppress it anymore and let out a little laugh before he nodded at the men who stood behind the two liars.

One of the soldiers rammed an injection in the Doctor's neck in a flash. Clara cried out as the Doctor groaned and his face twisted in pain. He went to his knees and she tried to support him, but it was no good.

"For God's sake, Miss Smith, compose yourself - we don't want get deaf," Blake laughed.

She knelt next to the Doctor as he was quickly consciousness.

"Clara," his lips managed to whisper while his hand was clutching to her cardigan before it fell to the ground as if he was a puppet and somebody had cut his strings.

"Don't worry, my dear. He's just taking an obligatory nap... It's nothing," Cullen said, clearly having fun.

"What are you going to do to him?" Clara whispered her voice brittle as she caressed the Doctor's cheek while she tried to stay strong and keep herself together.

Instead of an answer he just gave another nod. Clara hissed when she felt the cold needle jabbed through her skin on her neck.

"I would have let them do it at the same time, but I just wanted to see if you would make a scene," Blake grinned at her.

Clara mumbled something before her sight went black, but the blond scientist didn't understand her – not that he cared what she said. He ordered Vincent and Ian to bring the two intruders down to the basement.

"And soldiers? You can get him ready for the X before I come down."

"Yes, Dr. Cullen. And her?"

"Handcuff and sit her on a chair nearby, so she can have a nice view on everything. I won't need you then anymore for a while, so you two can join boys at the door if you like or whatever… just don't disturb me unless I call you."

"Yes, sir."


	5. Nosy Parker

**A/N:** A/N: Nope, you're not gonna find out what's going to happen to Twelve and Clara. Not yet. :)  
This chapter happens (more or less) simultaneously with Chapter 4 (Joey) and Chapter 6(Metal X)... It's about Jon after he got into the building.

Hope you like it! :)

* * *

 **Metal X**

 **Chapter 5**  
 **Nosy Parker**

When Jon entered the building, he could still hear the sound of footsteps coming from upstairs, so he knew it wouldn't be the best idea to go up to the second floor. He was deciding between the first and ground floor and he went with latter in the end. Firstly, he went to the left wing of the building. He crouched all the time while he was silently moving across a long narrow hall. He was lucky that the ground floor had no windows, so no one could see him from the outside. In the left part of the building, he found a small kitchen where was another door. He opened it slowly and found himself in a big room that contained four beds, sofas, electronic gadgets for entertainment and four lockers – _clearly the soldiers' room_ , he thought.

His heart skipped a beat when he suddenly heard some sound that echoed through the hall – someone was using the stairs. The footsteps got louder but faded quickly again and Jon calmed down. He wasn't sure if who-ever-it-was went up or down, but he didn't care – the main thing was that they didn't go to him.

Jon turned his attention back to the lockers and picked one to try to unlock it with his claw. He had to be careful and patient when he moved and turned his finger because long fingers as his could break very easily during this kind of action.

The lock rattled until it clicked and he was in. To his disappointment, there was only one spare uniform and a bag with things that were of no use to him, so Jon tried the other ones - his hands were shaking due to the growing stress and tension that were taking over him. Only in the third locker he found something special - it was his brother's laser gun that he had once bought. The soldiers took it from him when they were at his house. Jon didn't hesitate to grab it, but he couldn't say that he felt much safer.

Then he left the room, paying attention that everything was in place just as before he came in. When he was in the kitchen, the sound of heavy boots gave him the chills again – this time he could tell that it was someone _descending_ the stairs – two soldiers, judging by the noise. He peeked out from the room and calmed down again when he saw that the men went just back outside to guard the entrance.

Jon could carefully continue to the right wing of the building. There was a room that remotely resembled something like a living room - there were a few couches, a TV on the wall, a big round table and numerous big exotic plants all along the walls. There was also a door in this room and just when he wanted to go in, he heard a scream from upstairs that sent a jolt through his body – he recognised Clara's voice. Jon panicked and his heart races, he could feel every single beat against his chest and he had no idea what to do. In the left part of the building, neither the kitchen nor the soldiers' room was a good hiding place and he didn't want to risk going to the first floor, to the unknown. Jon started to sweat even more when he heard footsteps coming down again. He quickly jumped behind the couch, so he was squashed between it and the plants at the wall. He positioned himself so that he could see the door he wanted to enter before. The footsteps were louder and Jon's had his gun ready in his trembling hands. Then the two soldiers entered the room - one carried the Doctor and the other Clara.

They opened the door and Jon saw that instead of another room, there were stairs that lead down to the basement. The two men were soon followed by the scientist himself.

He was afraid to go down, but he didn't want to abandon his new friends – let alone his brother - to the mercy of that man. He wanted to at least try and help them all. But what if he knew that his brother had already been dead? Would he try to save them anyway?

Jon pulled himself together and pondered what to do. This was maybe the only chance to go to the first and second floor, so he sneaked up - first to the top floor. It was clear that the scientist wouldn't return any soon because he would be 'occupied' with the Doctor and Clara. He quickly checked the scientist's office - he saw the screwdriver lying on the table and took it, the psychic paper as well because it was lying next to it. Then he checked the drawers and the rest of the office, but he found nothing special except for a small device with a red button on it - which he decided to keep. Then he moved to the first floor where was only one big room that contained a few tables which were covered with dust. It seemed unused, so Jon carefully went back to the ground floor and decided to explore the underground too.

Standing in the cellar below the stairs, he had two options - either go left or right again. He went right, crouching and walking slowly so as not to make any noise. He came to a door which wasn't fully closed and allowed him to peek inside. The lighting in the room was poor and there was nothing in his view. He heard nothing either, so he silently slipped in.

Jon's heart nearly stopped when he saw his brother sitting on a mattress in the corner of the room, hugging his knees to him – the claws on his hands were cut off. He was dressed in white trousers and a tank top - both covered in stains and drops of his own dark red blood. His eyes were closed, looked as if he was sleeping. Jon felt as though someone had punched him in the stomach, seeing his family member and best friend like this. He crawled to his brother and touched his shoulder.

"Flo," he whispered.

His brother gasped as his eyes flew open and his hands tightened the grip around his knees..

"Shh, it's me!" Jon assured him.

Flo stared at him in disbelieve, firstly thinking that it was just a delusion - that he was slowly going mad.

"Flo," Jon repeated, holding back tears.

"Jon, what the hell are you doing here?" he murmured.

"Saving you! Two strangers helped me, but got captured too. Don't worry, I'll get you outta here."

"Impossible," Flo replied and took his brother's hand.

"Oh, shut it. I'll find a way. Look I even found your gun!"

"That's not what I meant. Look," his tired arm pointed to his feet.

"Fuck. That bastard," Jon cursed when he saw two nails driven to Flo's instep on his left foot.

"The scientist – Joseph Cullen is his name - he didn't have a cage where to keep me in, so he had to find another way to prevent me from running away. I can hardly walk let alone run Jon," he whispered and smiled sadly, reconciled with his fate. Flow knew his brother was brother could be sometimes crazy, yet he didn't expect him to be so daft and get into this building.

"That's insane!" Jon said in disgust.

"Well, that's not everything. Cullen likes to talk, to show off – he's getting off on that, so he told me things while he was ''having fun with me''. He said that he was sent from Earth to perform 'some experiments' on the Etnos he finds. He said that Earth needs more soldiers, so they search for fitting people on other planets. Cullen is just testing what his victims can bear... if their bodies have some 'special' abilities for combat. If they can endure more than Humans. If they do, they are transported to Earth and brainwashed. Then Earth has new, special soldiers who are like robots without recruiting people from their own race."

Jon swallowed every word he heard in horror while he held his brothers hand.

Flo continued, "You know that city Flax, right?"

His brother nodded. It was a metropole about 91 kilometres away from their village.

"Well, Cullen is even prepared in case someone had found out about this and sent the authorities over here. His government gave him that thing," Flo pointed behind Jon.

There was a table in the other corner of the room on which was a small lamp and a bomb that could have had 45 x 45 x 45 inches.

"It may be not that big, but he told me that it has enough power to bring the whole building down. Though, I think he will use it anyway when it is time to return with the results and new knowledge about us," Flo added.

"He won't do anything without this," Jon smiled and showed him the control he had found.

"Holy shit, Jon! Where the hell did you get this?" the wounded brother giggled.

"I nicked it from Cullen's office," Jon said with a bright grin, happy that he could see his brother smile again.

"You're an idiot," he shook his head, "he thinks he's invincible and that nothing's gonna happen to him and his little murder-hub here before they leave again."

"Where are the others from our village? Are they in a different room or where?" Jon was curious.

"Here," Flo replied and shifted a little.

Jon was puzzled and also a bit terrified of what 'here' meant because he knew his brother wouldn't make jokes in a situation like this.

Flo pulled two capsules out of his trouser pocket. They were transparent and contained grey-black powder in it.

"This is Ly and this is Rex," Flo lightly shook the two capsules and the powder bounced up and down in it.

"Jesus," Jon rubbed his face.

"Ly had tried to escape, got shot and then pulverised before I even got here. I knew her just by sight, but he gave me the capsule anyway. And Rex... Cullen told me that he had beat Rex with a rod for a couple of hours and then he made him eat poisoned food. You know, as I had said, wanted to see if Etnos are immune to whatever he could think of - or his government. Rex died and got pulverised. And as for me, Joey experimented on me too… I'm the one for the basic experiments, he said. Then he will kill me."

"He will do no such thing," Jon replied, feeling the anger build up inside, eating away at him.

Flo gave him a faint smile. He had already given up, yet his determined brother managed to return a bit of hope to him. Maybe there was still a chance to get out.

Maybe.


	6. Metal X

**A/N:** Thanks very much for the comments! Glad you like it DARK!  
Here is some more dark stuff. :3 (This chapter contains stuff that some of you may find disturbing, I don't know if it's convincing, though.)

Enjoy!

* * *

 **Metal X**

 **Chapter 6**  
 **Metal X**

Dr. Cullen was in his 'research cellar' – as he called it, getting ready for his new guests. He put one of his lab coats on while he was pondering what to do with the Doctor whose arms and feet were now handcuffed to a metal construction which had the form of an X. The scientist didn't know who his prisoner _really_ was because the scan from before had revealed only the two hearts beating in the Doctor's chest, but it didn't say to which race he belonged to. However, Cullen was determined to squeeze it out of him if necessary.

Clara couldn't remember a thing when she woke up and her body was completely drained – never before had she felt so sleepy. She wanted to move, but her hands handcuffed behind her back didn't allow her much movement. The only thing she managed to do is open her eyes – very slowly because her eyelids seemed to weigh at least a ton. Her vision was blurry, but she still could recognise the clean, modern surroundings and it suddenly came all back to her. She took a deep breath and blinked a few times before she regained the energy to finally lift her head and found a pair of sad ocean-blue eyes looking at her. The Doctor handcuffed to a metal X, wearing only his trousers and shoes. His shirt, waistcoat and velvet coat were stripped off and lying on the ground.

Cullen watched her from the side, enjoying the prelude before the real play that he was about to begin - and she had a privileged seat in the first row.

"Finally awake," the scientist stated with a smile.

"But I bet you'd rather be still asleep, hm? Or dead maybe."

"Let her go, she is no use to you and your experiments – you saw she's Human," the Doctor said.

Cullen saw how the alien looked daggers at him, but he didn't avoid his glare and was quite satisfied that ''Mr. Smith'' couldn't move right now.

"This is all top secret, you know, I can't just 'let her go'," Cullen replied, making a sad face at the Doctor to provoke him.

"And don't think that I don't know that you're aware of the missing Etnos... I would have made just a few experiments as I am ordered to and then we would have left again - just as we had done it on other planets before. It's your fault that you had to stick your nose into this," he shrugged and picked one scalpel from his table.

The Doctor braced himself when the captor walked over to him.

"What race do you belong to?" he asked as he was looking up at the Doctor.

"Please, don't hurt him!" Clara pleaded and the Doctor's eyes travelled to her, wishing he could erase all her fear and worries just by snapping his fingers.

The man in white ignored her.

Dr. Cullen cut his belly with the sharp scalpel - only lightly to get his attention back. The Doctor twitched and found the scientist smiling at him.

"I'm a Time Lord," came his reply. He wouldn't have cooperated if it wasn't for Clara. He just didn't want her to witness more than necessary.

"A _Time Lord_? That doesn't ring a bell - unknown so far. And what planet are you from while we're at it?"

"Gallifrey."

"Where is it? Somewhere far, I expect," Cullen was now genuinely interested and for a while the scientist was winning over the insanity in him.

"Yes - thankfully, far enough," the Doctor replied coldly.

"Funny," the man in white giggled and looked down at the small cut.

"Well... this is quite remarkable," he stated, all astonished when he saw that the wound immediately started to heal itself and even started disappearing.

"Do all your wounds heal so fast as this one?" he asked.

"No."

 _We'll see,_ he thought.

As if Cullen was possessed right now, he grabbed the other scalpel with a thicker blade and couldn't resist leaving another wound - this time under his ribs on the right side. The tip of the sharp razor found its way much deeper through his skin than before, making the Doctor hiss as his face twisted in pain. Cullen's hand lead the tool from under his ribs down to his hip and the skin started to bleed immediately. As if it wasn't enough, he had done the same twice right next to it.

"I quite like things symmetrically, you know," Cullen explained as he left three identical cuts on the other side as well while the Doctor gritted his teeth in pain.

The split cuts filled with blood at once until they overflowed and the red liquid continued its way down like a little waterfall where it collided with his trousers and soaked into them.

"Please, stop," Clara pleaded, her voice quiet and broken. She couldn't do anything, but just helplessly sit and watch the horrible scenario in front of her.

Cullen he wasn't listening again, but in fact he truly enjoyed that he had an audience this time. He examined his 'work' thoroughly – with the razor he opened the cut a bit more in hopes he would see something unusual – maybe different blood colour? Or poison coming out of the cuts as some sort of protective mechanism? No such thing. And he saw that the Time Lord wasn't lying about his special abilities – these deep cuts really didn't heal as the small one before. Maybe they would, later… The half butcher-half scientist had enough time to wait after all. Then he went back to his table to get a small black bucket with a stick in it. He returned to stand before the Time Lord and smeared some glowing yellow substance at the left cuts.

As the acid started eating away at his skin, the stinging pain made him wriggle, but the handcuffs held him in place. One or two tears escaped the Doctor's eyes because of the burning that raged in the wound, sending impulses throughout his whole body.

Cullen immediately dried it with a towel that was soaked with water.

"I'm sorry for this nasty action, but I had to try it. You see, one of the species I had the luck to lay hands on was immune to acid – she could even drink it. Incredible," he said, still holding the wet towel in the wound while Clara watched how it turned more and more red with the Doctor's blood.

Clara watched Cullen go back to his table where he kept all his tools of torture and some papers - probably the results of his 'research'. He bent down to the ground and she couldn't quite make out what he was doing there - only when he walked back to the Doctor, she clearly saw some white cables with suction cups at the end. She pleaded the ill man again to stop. Or maybe she didn't - she wasn't sure anymore because she repeatedly begged him in her head over and over. Clara watched as he attached two suction cups to his chest, the other two to his stomach and with every minute, she felt worse and worse. As if there was an invisible knife turning and twisting inside her stomach, making her sick… and the tears she bravely held back rewarded her with a headache and a dull pain that tightened her chest.

"Don't be so shocked," Cullen grinned at his victim. There was a spark in his eyes as if he lost his marbles completely.

He scuttled joyfully back to his table and pressed a button to let the electricity flow through the cables and strike the Time Lord hard.

Silent tears ran down Clara's cheek when she saw the Doctor cry out and jerk as the wave of electricity hit every single muscle in his body. The sight was almost unbearable for her. She didn't want to watch, but no matter where she looked, she could still _hear_ his suppressed screaming, his moaning and hissing and the chain of the handcuffs that was clinking against the metal construction he was tied to.

Then Cullen turned it off by pressing the button again. It could be after fifteen seconds, but to both the Time Lord and Clara it seemed like minutes, maybe even hours.

"It's terribly hot in here, don't you think?" Cullen asked as if he was with his mates at casual get-together.

However, this time, no one had paid attention to him. Clara was concentrated on her boyfriend who was hanging there motionlessly like a doll.

"Doctor, please," she whispered in a brittle voice.

Cullen looked at her and wanted to say something to mock her, but then he realised that it wasn't addressed to him, so he remained quiet and kept on observing them from the side.

The Doctor's head was tilted forwards, his sight was all blurry, partly it went even black and he was about to pass out, but then he heard Clara's voice, her fear and worries which prevented him from falling unconscious. His breathing was fast and he blinked a few times, head still down, and when his sight got well again, he saw the white suckers on his chest and belly, the little stream of blood flowing from the deep and long cuts on his sides and swelled up skin eaten away by the aggressive yellow liquid.

He managed to lift his head again and found Clara who tried her best to hold back tears, scared by all that had happened. Scared of what would happen next. He was simmering with rage on the inside.

"Bastard," he breathed, glaring at Cullen from the corner of his eye.

"I still think it's terribly hot in here," he didn't bother to start an argument with the Doctor.

The scientist took off his lab coat and threw it over the nearest chair.


	7. Outlast

**A/N:** Thanks for your comments very much! 3  
Here is Chapter 7 out of 9.

Enjoy! :3

 **Metal X**

 **Chapter 7**  
 **Outlast**

Culled rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and the Doctor immediately noticed a strange, very tight black metal bracelet on his left hand. He had an idea what it could be but didn't say anything because there was no point in doing so in that moment. Instead of that he waited what would happen next and tried to pull round and stay conscious.

Cullen walked his fingers on the table to the device that controlled the electricity. His eyes found the young woman who was now looking at the Doctor's feet, hopeless. Sometimes she even looked up again, but only for a while.

 _Don't like the fun, sweetheart?,_ Cullen thought and then he looked back at the Time Lord who was just before passing out.

 _I'll give you a break, my dear Time Lord. We don't want you to faint, do we? That's when it always gets boring – when my guinea pigs faint…_

Then another sick idea crossed his damaged mind.

 _Maybe I could do it the other way now… Torture her and make him watch before I kill them. Or should I let him live and have him transported to Earth? Time Lord… Time Lord… Gallifrey? ... Maybe I would get an achievement for that. Or maybe not. Maybe they would just spoil everything. Yes. They don't have to know. At least I can do whatever I want here._

 _And what are you two, anyway? Very close friends? A couple? Not so sure on this one. Hmm… Let's go with the latter option and amuse myself a bit._

He walked over to Clara and hunkered down next to her chair. She was just staring into space, didn't listen. Cullen caressed her cheek with the knuckles of his right hand and she tilted her head in the other direction to avoid his touch, but it was no use due to the fact that she was trapped on the chair. He came closer to her and kissed her cheek and then he winked at the Time Lord.

"Don't you dare to touch her," the Doctor's gravelly voice filled the basement.

"Or what? I don't think you're in the condition to stop me," Cullen replied with a grin, playing with the tips of Clara's hair.

"Soon, you will be in no condition to do anything anymore," he added while his poisonous fingers didn't break the connection with her skin and hair.

"Leave her!" the Doctor shouted.

Cullen got up and went over to the Doctor where he punched him in hard the stomach that made the Time Lord groan. Then he grabbed him by the shoulders and looked directly into his eyes. Standing so close, the Doctor finally got a proper look at the metal bracelet – how it was tight on his wrist, making the skin redden around it. Now he was sure.

"Shut the fuck up or you'll soon be the witness of something of which I'm sure you really don't want to see!" Cullen threatened and punched him again.

"And don't shout at me!" he barked as he went back to his table and fetched one of his big pliers that were covered with dried blood.

Cullen wanted to punish him, see him suffer even more. He truly revelled in it in the presence of Clara.

The Doctor's hearts raced in his chest and anxiety tightened his insides as the jaws of the pliers embraced his right ring finger and slowly developed some pressure on it.

Suddenly, with a loud bang the door flew open - Jon stormed into the room with his laser gun in hand.

"Hands up!" he yelled.

"Oh, thank God," Clara heaved a sigh of relief and suddenly felt two tons lighter.

The surprised man in white obeyed, let the pliers fall to the ground and stepped away from the Time Lord. His eyes narrowed at the familiar looking Etno who stood in front of him.

Cullen started, "Hey, you look-"

"Flo's brother, you fuck!"

"Oh, revenge of the family - great," Cullen smirked.

"Jon, my screwdriver - point it at Clara's handcuffs," the Doctor intervened as he breathed heavily and tried to get himself together.

Jon did as he was told, still aiming his gun at the scientist. The handcuffs clicked and fell to the ground. He gave her the tool, so she could set the Doctor free too - first she removed the suckers from his chest and belly, then she freed his legs and his hands.

His legs were a bit dumb at first, gave in under his weight and he fell to his knees, but Clara was there to support him. After a few seconds, he managed to stand up again and she cupped his face.

"Are you alright?" she asked with fear in her eyes

"It's okay, Clara. I'm fine," he assured her and squeezed her hand.

There was something in him that wanted to tear Cullen apart and he tried not to think about the fact that he would like to see Cullen suffer on the X. However, just one simple touch and look of Clara managed to calm him down a bit. It reminded him that this was not the time to seek revenge.

She let go and handed him his clothes that were lying on the ground because he couldn't bend down - the pain was just too strong with certain movements. He put them on and his white shirt was soaked with blood on the sides right away. Waistcoat. Red velvet coat. He didn't want to run around half-naked and there was nothing else he could wear. The pain would trouble him now – he knew that, but it was nothing he was not willing bear.

"You're fucking mental!" Jon shouted at the scientist in anger, his finger ready on the trigger. He had never killed anyone – and he wanted it to stay so despite the fury and revenge that were trying to take over his mind.

Cullen just rolled his eyes. He despised Jon, the other Etnos and the Doctor and Clara as well.

"He is, but it's not completely his fault," the Doctor said and earned some confused looks for that.

"What do you mean?" Clara asked what everyone else was thinking.

"The bracelet on his arm. Once you start wearing it, you can't get rid of it. It's a device with tiny needles on the inside which inject substances that change you and the way you think. It erases compassion and you start loving to hurt and kill. He's-"

He couldn't finish because Cullen interrupted him.

"Oh, look how clever you are! But you're wrong! Just to inform you – I'd been doing these experiments _even_ _before_ they gave me this bracelet. And just for the record, _I hadn't had any problems with doing them_. That's why my superiors didn't even want to give this thing to me – because I didn't need it! _I myself_ have asked them for it because the experiments were always the same and it got _really_ _boring_ over the time. With this, it's just much more fun again! As if it was for the first time!" he bragged.

"My colleagues admire me, you know," Cullen added.

"So the bracelet was just the icing on the top," the Time Lord replied in a husky tone, surprised and disgusted at the same time.

Cullen just gave another one of his sickening grins.

The Doctor smirked and shook his head. He understood that the scientist was a hopeless case – with or without evil technology.

"Tell me, Dr. Cullen, didn't you say that I would be in no condition to do anything anymore? I believe it's you who's in such a condition now," the Time Lord mocked his ex-torturer.

"Not quite. I can still do one little thing," Cullen replied and cleared his throat.

"GUARDS!" he shouted as loud as he could.

Simultaneously with the call fell a loud shot from Jon's laser gun. Cullen got hit in his stomach, groaned as he fell to the ground. He was very proud of himself that he still could make it hot for them.

"Shit," Jon summed up the situation they were in.

"How much energy has the gun got?" the Doctor asked.

"For three shots."

"Okay, go stand behind the door, so the guards won't see you when they come."

They had to act quickly and Jon knew that this was an indirect order to shoot the soldiers. No time for questions and making up better plans.

"You're not seriously thinking that you'll get out of here, are you?" Cullen grinned, curled up on the ground while covered the wound with his hands.

"Shut up, blondie!" the Doctor snapped at him. Despite the pain, he jumped to his table where he grabbed one of the bloody razors.

"No, wait," Cullen mumbled, thinking his throat was about to be cut - that was at least what he would do.

The Doctor used the blade to cut off a bit of Cullen's shirt and then he stuffed the piece in the man's mouth so that he couldn't warn his men. Then he quickly grabbed Clara's handcuffs which were lying on the ground and put them on Cullen's hands.

Suddenly a loud noise came from the hall that lead to the basement lab. It was the soldiers running down the stairs - luckily for the escapees; it was only two of four - Eric and Luke. Vincent and Ian were only on their way because they had been patrolling in the near forest.

Jon took position behind the door. As soon as the soldiers ran into the room, the Doctor and Clara put their hands up. Two shots fell, two bodies descended to the ground and the chance of getting out rised a bit again.

"Take his gun," the Doctor commanded and Jon took a sub-machine gun. It wasn't a laser gun, but he could tell that it had a lot of firepower.

"We have to get Flo out of here too," Jon said.

"We can try," the Doctor replied.

The Etno led the way and was followed by Clara right away.

The Doctor stopped at the door for a moment to look back at Cullen who was now lying on the floor in a little puddle of his own blood, still alive. He was trying to say something, but it was hard to understand because the fabric in his mouth didn't allow him to speak.

His curiosity got the better of him, so he knelt next to the scientist and put the shirt out of his mouth.

Cullen whispered, tried to convince him, "Don't leave me here like this."

"Why shouldn't I?" he cocked an eyebrow.

"Kill me, coward! It's not hard."

The piece of fabric found its way back to blonde man's mouth and the Doctor stood up and walked to the door. He looked at Cullen for the last time with a dead expression on his face before he left.

The pain in his upper body increased while he ran through the hall to join his friends.

"Doctor, look, there's a bomb in here," Clara pointed out right when he came in.

He scanned it with his sonic screwdriver only to find out that it would be too risky to defuse it with the sonic.

"And looked what I've got," Jon waved at them proudly with the remote in his hand.

The Doctor looked at him but his eyes immediately wandered to poor soul who was sitting on a mattress in the corner of the cold room. Clothes covered in blood stains, skin covered with cuts and bruises, nails in his left foot, claws cut off. He looked more dead than alive.

"This is my brother – Flo."

"Hey," Flo whispered with a smile as he saw the strangers who agreed to help him. There was something angelic about them, he would say.

Clara asked about the other two Etnos Jon had spoken about earlier and was told that they no longer live. Nothing that would calm her down.

"He can walk just on one foot," Jon explained.

The Doctor helped him to stand up and then supported his tall figure.

"Thanks, Doctor, I appreciate it," Flo whispered. He sensed that the Doctor was injured – he smelled his blood, saw how gingerly he moved.

Clara took her place at the Etno's other side and did the same because she saw how the Doctor gritted his teeth in pain when Flo leaned on him. She was much smaller than Flo, so he just put one arm on her shoulder to support himself at least a bit and spare some of the Doctor's energy.

"Shh! Don't move!" Jon whispered as soon as Flo was on his feet - or more likely: foot.

Jon tightened the grip on his gun and they all froze and cocked their ears.

The remaining two soldiers were coming down the stairs - walked very carefully, but their heavy boots gave them away, anyway.

"Sir?" the soldier's voice filled everyone with dread as it echoed through the halls.


	8. Still Alive

**Metal X**

 **Chapter 8**  
 **Still Alive**

* * *

Jon walked on his tiptoes to the door and peeked out. Fortunately, both of the men were sneaking in the other direction to Cullen's lab from where came strange noises as Cullen was trying to get attention. When they were behind the corner, Jon gave a go to leave the room as fast and as silent as possible. Flo wanted to help with the weight of his body, so every now and then he tried to step on his left foot despite hellish anguish in it when it touched the ground. They knew they had enough time to reach the ground floor - the guards would surely take care of their wounded boss, wouldn't they.

When they came out of the basement, the Doctor pointed his sonic at the door to block the lock. The vertigo he had didn't make it easy for him, but he knew he would have to make it – if no further - at least into the woods because there was still the risk that the soldiers would break out and tried to kill them on Cullen's orders. He still felt some of his muscles twitch and jolt as the effect of the electricity that had flowed through him. The sweat on his forehead was glistening in the light of the lamps, his hands were wrapped around his waist and he could feel how his white shirt stuck to the open wounds – at least it helped to stop the bleeding.

"Are you alright?" Clara asked and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Yes, I am. Don't worry... I just need to rest as soon as possible," he muttered.

Clara took his hand and squeezed it.

"We'll be in the TARDIS soon. You can do it, come on," she encouraged him.

He brought her hand to his lips and softly kissed the spot behind her knuckles.

Then he wanted to get back to Flo, but Jon said, "That's okay. Leave it – I can do it."

Jon threw the sub-machine gun on the sofa and went to support Flo and they made their way out.

In a safe distance at the edge of the woods, they decided to have a small break because Flo and the Time Lord really needed one. It didn't take long and the sound of muffled gunshots started coming from the house – it was the soldiers firing at the metal door.

"Come on," Jon said, standing next to the Doctor and tucked with his free hand at his velvet coat.

"No. Wait," he whispered in response.

Instead of moving he leant against a tree and squinted at the place from where they had just escaped. The stress, supporting Flo and running made him even dizzier, his sight was getting dark at times, then slightly better, the worse again and he just wanted to stop for a moment because he felt like vomiting.

The shooting suddenly stopped and it was all quiet again.

"Doc, I know you're not well, but we can't stay here. You'd better faint in a safe place," Flo tried to persuade him with a smile.

Then a bang came from the house – the soldiers put a small charge on the door and blew it up.

The Doctor quickly slipped his hand in the pocket of Jon's black sweater and pulled out the small device and pressed the button. The bomb in the basement went off and with a loud explosion the right wing of the building collapsed and buried all the dead and alive who were still inside. The flames trying to climb to the sky reflected their eyes as they watched the remains burn and with that, a sign of relieve washed over them.

"Now…," the Doctor breathed and looked at Flo.

"It _is_ a safe place to faint."

With that his eyes fell shut, his feet gave in and he fell forwards to the ground.

Clara reacted quickly and managed to slow his fall down. Then she knelt down to the Time Lord and slowly turned him over, put his head into her lap and caressed his cheek. She didn't care about anything else but him at that moment.

"Wow, I didn't think he would really do that," Flo joked and earned a frown from Clara for that.

"Oh, shut up you twat," Jon lightly smacked his chest with a smile, "That's not funny."

"Sorry," he smiled.

"I'm just happy that it's over… Joey deserved that squashing."

"Yeah, but we're not home yet," Jon replied.

"Jon, get Flo to your house and come back as quick as you can. I'll wait here with the Doctor," Clara ordered him.

"You sure?" Jon asked.

"I won't leave him alone here, will I?"

"Okay, okay. It'll be quick," he replied.

x

Flo jumped on his foot while his brother supported him, but when they got to the steep part of the hill, it started to be really difficult for them to go like that.

"Dammit, Jon. I can't jump all the way down here. It would take ages," Flo complained.

"You don't have to tell me, I can see that."

"Can't you-"

"No, I can't bloody carry you, Flo! You're too heavy."

"I know that, dumbo."

They both laughed and still found it quite hard to believe that they had really made it out alive.

"Wait. Stand still. Try carrying me piggyback," Flo suggested.

"Fine," Jon agreed.

It worked. Jon carried him on his back down the hill back to the village, carefully, yet fast.

"Wasn't that bad, was it?" Flo asked with a smile when he was in front of Jon's house.

"For you maybe," Jon chuckled.

"No, wait."

Jon turned around.

"Thanks for saving me,"

"Of course," Jon replied before hurried back up the hill to get the two time travellers.

x

When Jon and Flo left, Clara remained in place and looked after the Doctor. Her body was slightly trembling, still shaken by the sadistic experience they had gone through. The bitey wind and the fact that she was alone didn't help her condition much, so she just concentrated on the Doctor. She ran her fingers through his tousled hair and waited.

Jon returned as quickly as he could, yet it seemed like an eternity to her.

"Everything okay?" he asked, lightly out of breath.

"Yeah, I think so."

"Good. Have no worries, Clara, he'll be okay. I'll carry him down," he smiled.

He carefully picked the Doctor up.

"Thank you," Clara's lips curled into a little as she looked up at Jon who was towering over her with his seven-foot tall figure. The black shadows around his eyes and the light from the flames behind her made his yellow eyes stand out – shine so much that it was almost scary.

x

When they got down, the Time Lord started coming back to his senses.

"Doctor?" Clara squeezed his hand.

"Hmmmpf."

The Doctor eyes opened and he found the Etno looking down at him. He realised he was in Jon's arms and back in the village.

"Uhm… I… Thank you," he stuttered, a bit embarrassed due to the fact that he really fainted even when he tried so hard not to.

"No problem," Jon whispered.

He carefully put him to his feet and Clara just couldn't stop herself from pulling him into a light hug.

x

Flo was lying on the couch with his left foot in Jon's lap and the Doctor and Clara sat in the couch opposite them. Jon removed the special healing bandage which he had on his left arm because it had already been healed. He loved these conveniences of his time – especially the health aids one could have at home. He put the bandage on the table, so he could use it on his brother's foot after removing the nails.

"It's gonna hurt. You ready?" Jon asked.

"No, but get on with it."

Clara wasn't looking - she had seen enough for that day. And for the days to come.

Jon pulled the first nail out and Flo's groan filled the living room. He complained and took the nearest pillow to bite in it

It wasn't easy to pull the nails out because they had been in his foot for a while and stuck in dried blood and pus.

Jon pulled the second one out and this time his brother's scream hit the pillow and almost wasn't heard. Blood started to flow out of the two holes and Jon tried to dry it with a towel before he started to disinfect it.

"I'll give you something before you bandage it," the Doctor said.

He stood up and his head started spinning at once and he fell back onto the sofa.

"Everything okay?" Clara asked as she leaned to him.

"Yes, fine... Fine."

"You are pale - paler than usual, I mean," she said and his lips curled into a little smile.

"Am I dazzling you, Miss Oswald?" he asked.

"Yes you are," she giggled.

He gave her one of his cheeky smiles.

"Well, now you're proud, aren't you?" she chuckled.

They both smiled at each other and for a while they forgot about the presence of the two brothers. She knew he would be okay (even when he didn't look it) when he teased her like this.

Then the Doctor continued, "Clara, please go to the TARDIS - ask her if she could give you the grey healing drops - she should teleport them for you to the console room."

"Sure. I'll be right back."

Clara got up and went outside.

"Doctor, are you sure you don't want any help here and now?" Jon asked again.

"No, no. Don't be offended, but I'll take perfect care of everything in my ship."

"Alright. Won't argue."

x

When Clara was at the time machine's door, she heard some strange noises. She couldn't quite tell what it was and where it was coming from, but it was getting louder and louder very quickly and she was too curious to go inside. Then she saw a spaceship that flew over the village and stopped at the hill above, but only for a while - maybe half a minute until it flew away again.

She entered the TARDIS and did exactly as she was told and a phial of drops appeared on the console. Clara whispered a "thanks", but she still found talking to a time machine a bit strange although it'd been far from the first time.

x

"Thank you, Clara," the Doctor said with a smile and gave the drops to Jon.

"Give the whole content into the wound - together with your healing bandage it should heal his foot very quickly - maybe in one or two days even," the Doctor explained.

Jon didn't hesitate to follow the Doctor's orders. When he emptied the phial he bandaged Flo's foot.

Flo sat up and felt a soft tickle in his foot because of the faster healing.

"Thank you, Doctor and Clara," Flo shook their hands which seemed so small compared to his.

"And you too, Jon - again. You all saved my life."

"Sure thing," Jon nodded with a smile.

"You're welcome. It was a close shave, though, but we're glad we could help. It was nice to meet you," Clara replied.

"You too."

"What about your claws?" she asked.

"Ah, fortunately, they'll regrow," he replied.

Then Flo excused himself because he really needed some rest, so they said their goodbyes and he went up to a spare room upstairs.

"You see," Jon begun, "I've never killed anyone before. It's... I just feel weird."

"Let me remind that you saved you saved us. You did what you had to do," the Doctor assured him.

"Don't feel bad about anything. You were very brave. We wouldn't sit here if it wasn't for you," Clara said.

"I guess you're right. Thanks. I'll try... to process it... somehow."

"You'll be alright. And don't forget to tell the people that they're safe now," the Doctor said, slowly getting up, ready to leave.

"Yeah, I will." Jon smiled and saw them to the door.

"Thanks again," he added.

"A thank you from our side as well. Goodbye," the Doctor responded as he took Clara's hand.

"Bye," Clara said.

"Goodbye," Jon smiled.

The time travellers walked back to the TARDIS, but after a few paces, Clara stopped and looked up at the divine night sky and admired the two moons again.

"It's so beautiful," she whispered.

"Oh, yes. Very beautiful. And calming," he agreed, took her cold hand in his as his eyes flicked across the ravishing sight above.

"Pity that our moon's not blue… or violet," she said.

"And if it was, you would want a white one, wouldn't you?" the Doctor chuckled.

"Yeah, probably," she smiled.

"Come on, let's go in. You're cold," he said softly after a while.

On their way, Clara told him about the ship she saw when she went for the drops and he explained to her what he thought.

"Cullen or the soldiers probably called for help, for someone to pick them up… before the house exploded. The ship didn't land because the crew saw that the house was destroyed - they probably just scanned the ruins for signs of life, found none, so they flew away. I'm sorry if you got scared. I wouldn't have let you gone alone, but I really needed to sit down for a while."

"That's alright," she replied and softly leaned into his arm, "I'm just happy that we're out of there... and that he didn't have the time to... do something even worse to you."

Then she stopped, turned to him in looked him in his eyes.

"Are you sure you'll be okay after all he'd done to you?"

He placed a soft kiss on her forehead and whispered, "Yes, I am. I just a while in the medical room of the TARDIS to ease the pain and take care of the… decoration on my body."

"Okay, I believe you," she smiled at him.

When the stood in front of the TARDIS, Clara turned around and waved over at Jon who was still standing in the door. His tall silhouette waved back at them before they stepped inside.


	9. Saturday Evening

**A/N:** Thanks very much for the kind comments.

The last chapter is here… Hope you like it. :)

* * *

 **Metal X**

 **Chapter 9**  
 **Saturday Evening**

The Doctor pushed a few buttons, gave in the coordinates and pulled the main lever to lift off.

"We're at your flat. Saturday, 9:12pm," the Doctor informed her when they landed.

"Great. So, you'll join me when you're ready, yeah?" she asked.

"Of course, boss."

Clara opened the door and found out he landed in her bedroom. It was already dark outside, so she switched the light on her bedside table on, grabbed her nightie and went to the bathroom because she couldn't wait to have a hot shower. In the lab, it was clear to her that Cullen wanted to hurt her too - or do something worse to let the Doctor suffer psychically just like her. Fortunately, he didn't touch her much and yet she couldn't wait to wash it down. It would probably take her a while until she got that creep out of her head.

x

The Doctor stepped into one of the big bathrooms of the time machine. The tub had already been ready for him, filled with hot water with some healing substances that gave the liquid a blue colour. He took off his velvet coat, waistcoat and threw it on the floor. Then he worked on his sweaty shirt that was soaked with blood on the sides. He took it off very carefully, threw it on the pile of clothes and then he examined Cullen's work. The gash wounds were deep and open – quite an ugly sight. His left side was even worse - the acid was strong and within seconds it ate away quite a part of his skin. At least he could be sure that it would disappear without leaving scars because of the medicaments he had available - not to mention that his body had a better and quicker healing ability. He stepped into the tub, sat down and let the water surround him.

After the relaxing bath, he dried himself and then he went to the medical room of the time machine to apply a special cream on the wounds. They started closing up at once - not completely, but enough for him to avoid sewing. He decided to let the wounds breathe, so he didn't bandage them and before he returned to his impossible girl, he swallowed some painkillers for the headache and the pain in his body that was troubling him.

x

Clara was making some tea in the kitchen when the Doctor came in, dressed in his black pyjama trousers and his black shirt with white polka dots - the first four buttons left undone.

"Have you been waiting long?" he asked.

"No, not at all. Are you feeling any better now?" she asked softly, seeing the bath gave him back some colour. He still was pale - but that was his usual pale and not like thirty minutes ago when he looked like he was on ghost mode.

"Much better," he replied.

"Glad to hear," Clara smiled.

Her eyes travelled lower to admire his polka dot shirt and she wondered why he never wore it. The first and last time she had seen it on him was on the day they flew to the Moon together with Courtney.

"And you? Everything okay?" he walked over to her and brushed the strand of hair behind her ear.

"Yeah, I think so," she said and leant into him, brushing her nose against his bare chest and the sparse grey chest hair resting there.

He adored when she did this.

"I've made us some tea," she said, her hot breath collided with his skin.

"Thank you," he placed a kiss in her brown hair, inhaling the sweet scent of the apple shampoo she had used.

They sat down to the table in her kitchen and he Doctor took a deep breath as he embraced the warm mug with his hands. His gaze was pointed at the hot beverage as though he would find the right words in it.

"Something wrong?" she asked when he saw the "deep-in-thoughts" expression on his face.

"Clara... I'm sorry," he said when he finally found the courage to look at her.

"What for?" she asked, confused.

"There's something I kept secret from you. Since the rift overflowed with energy, the charging took less time than an hour and the TARDIS was ready when we were up on the hill and observed the building – I got a signal to my sonic… And I kept quiet," he confessed.

At first, she didn't know what to answer because she didn't expect him to say something like that.

"Why didn't you tell me at once?" she frowned at him.

"I… don't know. I was so engrossed in finding out what was going on that I… just ignored the signal," he admitted.

"Sorry, again, I didn't want to upset you."

Clara sighed and looked out of the window. That was so him. The Doctor really could be an idiot sometimes.

"But… Of course, I didn't think that it would make you happy," he stuttered when he realised that his previous sentence sounded a bit stupid.

"Oh shut up," she giggled at his desperate attempt of trying to make it up. It was clear that he regretted not telling her.

Then she brought the cup to her lips and took a sip.

"I… You should have told me," she stated.

"I know."

"Because even if you _had_ _told_ me, I wouldn't have wanted to go back, anyway," she explained.

"That doesn't surprise me," he smiled at her.

"So you're not cross with me?"

"Yes, I am cross with you!" Clara said in a louder tone.

"A bit," she added quietly because she couldn't really be much angry with him after all they had been through, nor had she the energy to it.

"Well, of course you are. That wouldn't be you if you weren't," he teased her.

She smiled at him and shook her head.

"Just… Tell me everything you know - next time, okay?"

"Promise, boss," he replied as he took her hand and brushed his thumb over her knuckles.

When they finished their tea, they got up and went to her bedroom that was illuminated by the dim light of the small lamp on the nightstand. Clara stopped by the window when she noticed some lightning in the dark – a storm, but the thunder couldn't almost be heard because it was still quite far away. The Doctor had already crawled into her bed and lied down on his back. He also tried lying on his left side - the one that was affected by the acid - but despite the painkillers, it wasn't any pleasant to him.

"Done with hunting lightning?" the Doctor tried to lure her to bed after a while.

She giggled, "Almost. I think the storm is coming this way."

"And are _you_ coming this way too anytime soon?" he sounded a bit more annoyed that he intended to.

"You're interrupting me while I'm watching the night skyline, do you know that?" she joked as her tired legs carried her to the bed.

"Of course, that was my intention," he replied and carefully stretched himself.

Clara crawled to his right side.

"How are your wounds?"

"Quite alright, I'd say."

"May I take a look?" she asked.

"If you wish," he whispered.

Clara started unbuttoning the remaining four buttons of his shirt.

"Do you know that there's actually no point in getting dressed when I'm around you? You always start undressing me right away," he said playfully.

"That's not true! And you very well know that, mister!" she defended herself and they both grinned at each other.

Clara unbuttoned the remaining buttons and saw the four nasty burns on his torso; two on the chest and two on his belly - marks left by the electricity.

"An ordinary man wouldn't have survived this, right?" she asked while she traced her fingers through the sparse chest hair on his belly.

"No," he replied, blushing lightly under her touch.

Clara opened his shirt further to see the long cuts on his side that were protected by thin scabs.

"Clara," the Doctor whispered to get her attention because he wanted to distract her from the unpleasant sight and from whatever that troubled her mind.

When her eyes found his blue ones, he cupped her face and gently pulled her to him. Their lips met for a slow and feathery kiss.

"I see you're worried – please, don't be. I'm fine and these will heal sooner than you think," he whispered while he gazed into her chocolate brown eyes.

"Alright, I believe you," she murmured before she closed the distance between them once more.

Clara deepened the kiss and her tongue sweetly invaded his mouth and made the Doctor's hearts pound so hard in his chest that he felt every single beat as he tasted the intoxicating flavour that made him giddy.

After they parted, Clara blushed lightly and her pink swollen lips kissed the tip of his nose.

"Sleep?" she asked with a smile while she was drawing circles on the pale skin on his chest.

"Yeah… But how do you expect me to sleep now?"

"You don't need that much sleep, anyway," she teased him.

Then she switched the lamp off and turned her back to him, so he could wrap his arms around her and pull her close.

"Good night, my Clara," he whispered and placed a few soft kisses on her neck

"Good night, Doctor."

He was on another world with her, with every touch and every kiss, every time he could hold her like this – words couldn't describe how wonderful it felt. The Doctor stayed awake for a while, listened to the thunder that was slowly coming closer and waited until she fell asleep before he allowed himself to doze off too.

* * *

 **A/N:** The End.

I applaud you if you've made it here and I really hope you liked and enjoyed my first plot fic! I had great fun writing it although some parts were harder to write.  
I'm sorry for all the mistakes I've made – English is not my native language.

Kudos and reviews appreciated!

 **THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR READING!**

xxx


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